The spectacular beauty and variety of Corsica’s scenery keeps Peter Swan coming back for more.
If you are an independent traveller, used to taking advantage of the many low-cost flights by carriers such as Easyjet, Jet2, RyanAir and Bmibaby, you probably consider yourself fairly knowledgeable about European holiday destinations. So answer these three questions: To which island was the first ever package holiday? What do travel writers consider the most beautiful of the Mediterranean islands? Where can you sunbathe in the morning, with the beach to yourself, and yet be walking in the snow in the afternoon?
The answer to all three questions is Corsica. It is bigger than Mallorca, Malta, Ibiza or Menorca, but many people have never heard of Corsica, much less been there. There are only a handful of scheduled flights from the UK there each week and they are extremely expensive – a quick trawl through them on the Internet reveals most are around £600 return.
So how do you get there without breaking the bank? The cheapest and most enjoyable way to get to Corsica is to do what I have done for the past three years: go via Nice, which I will elaborate on at the end. First let me whet your appetite for an island that is quite simply astonishing in every sense.
On my first ever visit to Corsica, I can remember the day my wife and I had the whole beach to ourselves. It was May and we basked in glorious sunshine. Later that same day I was cutting steps in a snow slope as I made my way from Lac de Melo to Lac de Capitello after having driven to the head of the Restonica valley. May, June, September and October are the best months for us Brits to visit the island: in July and August Corsica is invaded by French and Italian holidaymakers, but outside these months, you will feel you have the island to yourself.
Do not be deterred from visiting Corsica by its history of violent opposition to French rule. True, you will see signs of le problème corse as you travel round (traffic signs riddled with bullet holes are a typical example), and Corsica is still an island where paramilitaries operate, so you would be wise not to openly oppose them.
However, they are not interested in harming us Brits – it is the French they object to – and I always make a point of booking into accommodation that I know is owned by Corsican families. My main problem is my lack of fluent French. You do need to speak basic French to survive in Corsica, as very little English is spoken or understood.
 The deserted village of Occi supplies the best view of Calvi.
So is it the mountains or the coast for you? Personally, I would recommend both, although if you only have a week you would be wise to restrict yourself to a couple of accommodation bases. Corsica is a large island with mountainous terrain that makes car journeys very long and tiring. The mountain villages of Evisa, Ota and Pioggiola each has its own highly individual places for visitors to stay.
A breathtaking drive from Porto on the coast, rising up through the Spelunca gorge, brings you to Evisa. Arrive early in the evening to watch the thrilling silhouette of Capu d’Orto mountain against the setting sun (regrettably, the six-hour hike to the top may discourage you from taking a closer look).
There are several places to stay in Evisa, each quite different in character from the next. The rambling La Chataigneraie is the most popular, serving local specialities such as sanglier (wild boar stew), but my favourites are the modest U Pozzu or the traditional Hotel Aitone, both reminiscent of alpine boarding houses and boasting superb views of the mountains. Once the sun has gone down, head for the Bar de la Poste. From the balcony at the rear the views over the village, across the valley, and up to the mountains beyond, are magical.
Ota nestles in the Spelunca gorge, above the perfectly restored Genoese bridge Ponte Vecchiu. Chez Charles is a beautiful, traditional auberge clinging to the side of the valley and one of only two places to stay in this isolated mountain village.
In Pioggiola, the Auberge l’Aghjola has got to be the perfect antidote to urban stress. This inn is the only building in the village that even hints at tourism, and it is the essence of peace and tranquillity. The evening meal is an ‘event’, with guests sharing the huge dining table with the Corsican owner. Over-laden plates of local produce are passed around amidst convivial, and often multi-lingual, conversation – heaven! The next morning you can walk off your excesses by taking a stroll up to the Bocca di a Barraglia for a cold Corsican beer flavoured with herbs from the maquis, and stare at the rocky peak of Monte Padro.
Drivers bewareThe contrast between the east and west coastlines of Corsica is amazing. Drive in a hurry down the west coast from Calvi to Propriano and your nerves will be shattered. The road, with its superlative views, deserves your respect and your patience. In places you cling to the rocky coastline with vertiginous drops down to the crashing waves below, so stopping to admire the views can also serve as a much-needed break for your quivering passengers! This rugged scenery is like no other and is what keeps enticing me back.
Here are my recommendations for the best places to stay on the west coast. The citadel town of Calvi is about as cosmopolitan as it gets – be sure to take a hike up to the deserted village of Occi for the best views of the town and its citadel. Porto and Piana provide the best vantage points if you want to watch the sun go down over Les Calanches, a must for any visitor to Corsica. And if you stay at Bonifacio, take a stroll along the cliffs to Capo Pertusato.
The east coast, by contrast, is fertile, agricultural and flat. Solenzara is a favourite destination of mine, and a night in one of the beach bungalows at the Mar e Festa is always on my itinerary. Drive north from Solenzara, and every road off to the left takes you up into the central mountains. Corte is the ancient capital of Corsica, and the local train takes you from here to either Ajaccio or Ile Rousse to the west, and Bastia to the east.
The Restonica and Tavignano gorges can both be reached from Corte, and the Asco gorge is a little further north. These three gorges separate mountains rising up to 9,000 feet above sea level, and are well worth exploring (the Restonica and Asco gorges are both reached by road, although do not attempt them in winter).
Nice and ferrySo, how do you get there on the cheap? Simple – fly to Nice by budget airline or look out for special offers, stay overnight in this wonderful city (there are lots of small reasonably priced hotels), and the next day take the ferry to one of four ports in Corsica. The overall cost is considerably less than flying direct to Corsica, and you have a night in Nice as a bonus.
Further information- Budget flights to Nice and overnight accommodation can be booked through www.jet2.com, www.easyjet.co.uk and www.bmibaby.com
- Ferries from Nice to Corsica: www.corsicaferries.com and www.sncm.fr
- Currency on the island is euros.
- All accommodation mentioned in this article, plus lots more, is detailed in The Rough Guide to Corsica and Lonely Planet Corsica. You will also find details of car hire in these two guidebooks.
- Landscapes of Corsica, Sunflower Publications, is an excellent guide for walkers, picnickers and drivers.
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